The remnants of ex-cyclone Ita are set to sweep across the upper North Island today, bringing heavy rain and gales, while the rest of the country is also in for a soaking.

The run of warm weather, mainly for northern areas, looks set to continue this weekend and into next week along with showers and more rain makers around the nation. A low is predicted next week in the Tasman Sea and another one – potentially the remnants of current Category 5 tropical cyclone Ita – may move down towards the North Island at Easter weekend. Still a bit too far out to lock in but one to watch for northerners. Meanwhile the South Island remains mild for mid-April but a southerly change is expected later next week.

Some wet weather will be affecting eastern and central parts of New Zealand this week as a low unravels around the lower North Island. Winds will be south east for many places, which means the rain may not make it over the ranges and into very dry parts of Manawatu and Wanganui – but we do hope for some spillover. Meanwhile the rest of the country looks fairly dry – but a sub-tropical low is possible next week according to some computer models.

The weather across New Zealand is sluggish at best as high pressure swamps both islands and helps stall lows to the north east and south west of the country. These two lows are weakening and by next week may bring in more showers to some areas – but it’s not the silver bullet to break the big dry forming in parts of the North Island. Winds are mostly light – which means you can expect more fog and cloud patches in the morning.

A stream of high pressure systems continue to block the rain makers – despite the rain maps this coming weekend showing a low on either side of the North Island. Dry conditions that really set in across March over some northern regions will remain in place for at least the first week or two of April. This time last year we had a similar pattern – but rain arrived in the second half of April. At this stage we’re still focused on the week ahead, which looks mainly dry right across NZ, just a few showers possible around Gisborne and the West Coast mostly.

A few showers this weekend will likely brush Southland and parts of the West Coast – but for most other regions expect mostly dry, settled, weather thanks to a strong high pressure system moving over the nation and stalling somewhat over the North Island. The forecast is positive if you’re harvesting grapes, but not positive if you need rain for your farm or garden…and the dry weather may linger for northern areas until mid-April, or even longer.

A weak front will bring a south to south west change from the lower North Island southwards on Tuesday, bringing rain and showers to the South Island and a few showers to the lower North Island. Afternoon heating will continue to lead to a few heavy showers for upper western parts of the North Island – bringing pockets of relief to those who need rain. However WeatherWatch.co.nz maintains that dry weather will prevail across the regions that need rain the most for the rest of March and the very start of April.

Head Weather analyst Philip Duncan gives a special weather update on the location where potential Debris have been spotted by satellite 2500 kilometres southwest of Perth.

Cyclone Lusi continues to slide south towards New Zealand bringing severe gales and heavy rain. The low will track down the western side of NZ then cross over the South Island on Sunday night – before leaving the nation on Monday morning. Severe weather may affect a number of regions, so please check with MetService for the latest warnings & watches – and WeatherWatch.co.nz for special weather news updates across the weekend. For farmers wanting rain Lusi should deliver a soaking to a number of regions – but some may miss out due to the changing wind flow.

The first official weekend of Autumn and the weather is more autumnal thanks to a south to south west change right across the country. It will be cold for some in the deep south – but for those in the upper North Island expect only a slight dip in the temperatures. We update you on the two cyclone risks north of New Zealand and we monitor any potential rain or shower risks for those desperate for rain.

Dry conditions are starting to really set in across northern New Zealand and the forecast doesn’t show much rain in the next 10 days. As WeatherWatch.co.nz exclusively predicted back at the start of spring, the current weather pattern is favourable to creating drier than average conditions for northern New Zealand. The only saving grace will be from tropical or sub-tropical rain makers. Latest models show a fairly high chance of a tropical cyclone forming later in the first week of March – but the models have no idea if it will affect NZ just yet, so confidence of rain remains low at this early stage. Meanwhile the South Island and lower North Island have more hot and cold changes coming up.

Saturday was humid and Sunday was thundery – but the week ahead looks calmer for most regions thanks to higher air pressure. Humidity levels may start to creep back up again this week north of Waikato and BOP while a couple more colder changes are expected in the South Island – which might spark one or two heavy showers. We also look at video of the tornado and the damage it caused on Sunday in North Canterbury.

Foggy weather has affected flights in Wellington and Christchurch this week – we explain why and give you the more positive forecast for flying this weekend. Humidity levels should also ease across the country by the end of the weekend after the south west change comes through. Next week looks mostly dry with a high rolling in and humidity levels look set to increase again in the north by mid week as the easterly flow returns to northern New Zealand.

A more humid east to north east flow is dominating a number of regions, especially the top of the country. The humidity is making the feels like temperatures lift by several degrees at times during the afternoons. The weekend sees a cooler south west change moving up the country but the weekend looks mostly dry. Philip Duncan also discusses how the summer weather is likely to extend well into March this year.

Two low pressure systems are moving in towards New Zealand, one coming out of the sub-tropics from the north east and the other coming in from the south west. The two will weaken as they move across the country this week, but it means some who need rain will get it – but the rain predictions for the upper North Island remain patchy and hit and miss. By the end of the week we have another sou’west flow across the country which means the weekend ahead may be a little cooler along our western coastlines, but sunnier and hotter in the east or north east. Don’t forget to also check out our great new animated wind maps in our weather videos.

The weekend is here and the forecast looks mostly dry across the New Zealand. High pressure remains in control of a number of places despite a low from the north and west trying to move in later on Sunday. These messy systems will weaken early next week but may – MAY – bring some rain relief to dry parts of northern NZ. It looks a bit hit and miss though.

An unsettled weather pattern remains over NZ for the next couple of days, bringing a slightly cooler sou’west flow to many areas on Friday. However as head into the weekend high pressure should again dominate meaning a mostly dry and warm to hot weekend across the country. We also take a look at the latest news about El Nino – which may make a return later this year which could be of concern for some farmers (El Nino can lead towards dry weather for eastern and inland areas.

The week ahead looks mostly dry but we do have showers around the South island thanks to a large but fairly weak low. This low will push some rain up the West Coast but as it moves into the North Island around Tuesday and Wednesday it will completely fall apart – delivering little in the way of moisture for dry parts of northern New Zealand. By the end of the working week another high is pushing in across the upper North Island bringing a warmer westerly flow (and sunnier, hotter weather to the east of both islands) which should turn to a warmer and more humid northerly flow by Sunday.

Hot weather, with highs into the 30s, will great some people across both islands over Monday and Tuesday this week – but another cold southerly is coming for the South Island with highs set to tumble on Wednesday, especially in the deep south. However northern New Zealand is unlikely to be significantly affected by this change – with mostly dry and sunny weather remaining. The good news is that a high will move in on Waitangi Day – but a few areas will have morning showers and brisk, cool, northerlies. Chance of a shower at Waitangi itself, otherwise dry with passing clouds and an easterly wind.

A large anticyclone will this weekend drift across New Zealand bringing mostly sunny and settled weather to the country – but, as usual, there is a catch. This time in the form of a deep sub-tropical low which will brush East Cape. Strong winds and rain are possible there – but the south east flow will mean many western areas, including Auckland, should be mostly sunny, hot and dry. We also take a look at next week – which also looks mainly dry ahead of two possible lows (one from the north the other from the south) around Waitangi Day.

Another cool change is moving up the South Island while North Islanders are watching another possible sub-tropical low. Firstly, in the deep south, the unsettled cool weather continues as yet another cold front moves in. The good news is that this front is very weak - and it’s good news for apple growers too who are loving the cooler mornings. However in the upper North Island all eyes are on another sub-tropical low. While the data is still a bit unsure about where exactly this low will end up (likely East Cape or east of there) it is likely to affect our weather in some ways.

It’s a long weekend for the upper North Island this weekend and the forecast is looking great for those wanting to get away – but perhaps not perfect once on holiday! We have a small but aggressive low pressure system pushing into the South Island on Sunday with gales and heavy rain for some areas. This might also affect the lower North Island. The front will then fall apart over the Upper North Island bringing a risk of showers and plenty of cloud in the west. Meanwhile we take a look at the tropics, where another tropical cyclone is possible in week 2 in February. Plus we look at the next polar vortex slamming North America.

Another day and another low moving in, this time towards the South Island. While Wednesday looks much calmer, drier and sunnier around New Zealand, Thursday will see windier weather move in as a small stormy low crossed the South Island. The good news is that a large high is moving In for both main islands this weekend – but a question mark still remains on just how dry (or not dry) Auckland Anniversary Monday will be, for the couple of million people in the upper North Island who have that day off.

Ex-cyclone June passed Norfolk Island this morning with winds over 100km/h and torrential rain. The low is gradually weakening but is already sending rain across the upper North Island. We have a large calm area in the centre of the low, but around it are gale to severe gales. These strong winds are expected to move into Auckland and other northern areas during Tuesday as the low heads south and the gale sou’westers move in behind it for a time. The rest of the week looks unsettled with sou’west winds blowing across many areas ahead of a high this coming weekend…but for Auckland Anniversary Monday there may be some incoming rainclouds once again.

All eyes are on the tropics as a sub-tropical low drops south towards New Zealand. While it only has moderate chances of briefly becoming a cyclone it does bring a threat to northern New Zealand of rain and gales early next week. However the exact path of the worst weather is still unclear, for that reason we’re advising people to keep up to date with weather forecasts across the weekend. We also take a look at the cold change hitting the South Island at the moment and the weather for the Big Day Out in Auckland.

As the spring-like pattern gradually eases over many parts of New Zealand, allowing for hotter, sunnier, weather to move into the South Island, all eyes are shifting to the tropics where long range models have been picking for some time now a tropical low. This low may well grow into a tropical storm or cyclone before it reaches New Zealand, but at this stage it may weaken again before reaching our shores. Either way, Monday and Tuesday are days to watch next week in the upper North Island. Meanwhile the South Island has hot and sunny weather for the next 24 to 36 hours before the next cold southerly arrives there over late Thursday and Friday. We also take a look at the forecast for the Big Day Out in Auckland this Friday.

A number of people from across southern and western parts of both islands are asking this one question – “what has happened to summer?”. With highs struggling to reach even the low teens for some South Island areas, along with a fair bit of cloud for western places including Auckland, some are wondering when Summer will truly kick off. The good news is that hotter weather is coming – the bad news is that we still see a changeable ‘spring-like’ pattern for the rest of the month for some areas in the south.

In our final weather video for 2013 we bring you the latest forecast for Christmas Day across New Zealand, plus the prediction for the days following. There is some good news for farmers and those who need rain water – but holidaymakers may question the timing! We also take a look at a great photo from Toronto Canada, following freezing rain there earlier today. Plus – the Live Santa Tracker is back at WeatherWatch.co.nz!

We have your Christmas Day forecast, also a basic travel forecast for Christmas Eve. We also take a detailed look at this weekend’s weather. In a nutshell we’re returning to a spring-like pattern, which will produce “changeable” weather around the country, with some regions having fairly sunny weather and others having rain, showers and cooler winds. A big high is also rolling in towards the end of Christmas Day and into Boxing Day – as people head off on holiday.

More changeable weather is in the forecast for New Zealand in the week before Christmas with a few showers here and there – one or two with hail and thunder. For people heading away this weekend Friday looks fairly settled but the winds will crank up and by Saturday strong to gale force winds may affect inland Canterbury and Wellington region. But the forecast for Christmas Day still can’t be ‘locked in’ due to the changeable spring-like nature of the current weather pattern which will be with us for the rest of December.